The Final Report on the Review of the Mental Health Act 2009 has been released. The SA Law Reform Institute of the University of Adelaide was asked to undertake the independent statutory review.
The Government will now consider the recommendations and work on what the next steps will be, in consultation with key mental health groups and consumers.
Further information is available at:
The Annual Report of the Chief Psychiatrist was tabled in Parliament on 30 November 2023. Please see below if you wish to access a copy.
Read the full storyConsultation is now open on the development of a Mental Health and Wellbeing Act. A discussion paper has been released on the YourSAY consultation site with details of information sessions https://yoursay.sa.gov.au/mentalhealthactreview. The Office of the Chief Psychiatrist welcomes this opportunity to align mental health legislation with contemporary mental health and human right-based practice and encourages South Australians to have their say.
Read the full storyPlease note the following updates: - Spaces are still available for sessions this week including the online focus group - Friday 22 September 2023. - Two additional days of consultation have been opened up on 27 and 28 September 2023 for one hour group or 30 min individual interviews. - The Focus Group on 12 October 2023 has been cancelled, those who have enrolled will be offered an alternative time. - More background details regarding the consultation are available in this news item. You are invited to participate in a consultation to explore how the former SICC (Southern Intermediate Care Centre) may be best utilised to meet the mental health needs and expectations of the community living in the southern Adelaide metropolitan area. Please note that a range of options are being considered, including in, no particular order: a refreshed intermediate care centre model, a lived experience-led centre, a therapy focus model, dual diagnosis centre and a youth sub-acute service or a multi-use alternative.
Read the full storyThe Rural Mental Health Services Review report and SA Health response were tabled in parliament on the 14th of September 2023.
Read the full storyThe first MH ECHO program will commence next week, Wednesday August 30, 6:30 - 7:45pm via Zoom. If you haven't yet signed up for the program, there is still time. The sessions are open to healthcare professionals across all disciplines. See the flyer for more information and please spread the word.
Read the full storyThe Office of the Chief Psychiatrist was pleased to receive an award at the Department for Correctional Services Merit Award Ceremony. The partnership award acknowledged the Office work including assisting when people in custody have had high or complex needs, and the provision of training.
Read the full storyThe SA Office of the Chief Psychiatrist’s Human Rights and Coercion Reduction Committee developed the Human Rights Analysis Tool. It has been designed to support mental health services to embed human rights into practice by conducting a self-assessment based on the principles of the Human Rights Based Approach and the articles of the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD).
Read the full storyFollowing improvements in the operation of the Royal Adelaide Hospital Mental Health Unit Duress System, a revised condition was published in the SA Government Gazette on the 27th July 2023.
Read the full story